Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather has been touted less as a fight and more as a phenomenon. Don't tell that to ticket buyers.
McGregor, the UFC lightweight champion, facing off against the 49-0 Mayweather has been talked about forever with dozens of storylines circulating around the fight. It's expected to be Mayweather's last fight and an opportunity for the brazen McGregor to hold two crowns, and the intrigue isn't lost on audiences who will be able to watch the fight on Showtime PPV beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
The event is currently second all time in StubHub sales to date, trailing only Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao in 2015. The United States and Canada are the only two countries in the top buyers of both boxing and MMA. Although both sports have had the same average ticket price of $285 over the past five years, boxing recently took the edge, selling tickets for $180.36 to UFC's $153.76. This is a far cry from 2016, where UFC tickets commanded an ATP of $417.34 to boxing's $155.85.
All of this builds up to the ATP of McGregor and Mayweather's fight, which is a whopping $3,521, falling just short of Mayweather-Pacquiao, which came in at $4,456. However, there's still time for that number to rise.
The bottom line is: This fight is huge. It's currently projected to be the second biggest fight of all time. So no matter what anyone thinks about the pageantry and the spectacle -- it's warranted. Mayweather-McGregor is the second biggest fight of the decade, and it might have the most repercussions. What happens on Saturday will ultimately leave a legacy, one that people want to see.
